LeBron James said he was sorry on Wednesday night (May 11th). A year to the day after a game 5 debacle against the very same Boston Celtics,  where James took tremendous criticism for allegedly quitting on the court in a 120-88 rout, he apologized to fans, family and friends he left behind in Cleveland:

“The way it panned out with all the friends and family and the fans back home, I apologize for the way it happened. I knew this opportunity was once in a lifetime. To be able to come down here and pair with two guys and this organization — in order for me to move on with my career, that team that we just defeated, we had to go through them.”

After a “decision” that shook the landscape of the NBA, a premature (some would argue immature) celebratory pat-on-the-back style post-signing pep rally, a tumultuous regular season filled with blood, sweat and tears in the locker room, the much-maligned superstar that is LeBron James finally exorcised the NBA playoff demon that is the Boston Celtics and threw the non-clutch gorilla off his back at the same time in a classic final flurry of dagger-filled buckets, complete with after shot poses that would make MJ proud.

After LeBron scored the last 10 points of a 97-87 series clinching victory against a very different, injury-plagued Boston Celtics squad, he immediately took to one knee and buried his head in his left hand after the final buzzer sounded. He had not won the NBA championship, a goal that is more of a possibility now than at the start of the season, but he might as well have. The Celtics have been responsible for two of James last three playoff exits beginning in 2008 where he dueled with Paul Pierce in a classic Game 7 for the right to go to the NBA Finals that year. 2008 coincidentally was the first year Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce to form the “Big 3″ blueprint every team seems like it is trying to follow. King James admitted their union influenced his decision to team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Now I ask, should this apology make Cleveland fans feel better? LeBron pretty much admitted that even though then-Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry tried every year to add pieces around his hometown superstar, including the likes of All-Star guard Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison and Shaquille O’Neal that he didn’t have enough talent around him to beat the Celtics.

I guess Cleveland fans can take solace in the fact that LeBron finally let his guard down emotionally to admit his thought process.

Baby steps, people.

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After 82 hard fought games it is time for the NBA’s ”second season.”  This is what fans have been waiting for ever since LeBron James stunned the basketball world by announcing he would be taking his talents to South Beach. While the team he left behind (Cleveland Cavaliers) went on to win 42 fewer games without him (19-63 down from 61-21 with James a year ago), James only went on to finish second in the league in scoring and led the Heat to 58 wins, putting him in the discussion for his third straight MVP award. Ask James and he’ll tell you that means nothing. After being accused of quitting on the Cavs last season against Boston and going out in unsportsmanlike fashion to Orlando in 2009, King James wants everyone to witness him carry the Heat to the promised land and put all the doubters to rest. To do that he will have to do what he couldn’t do at the end of last season and 3 out of 4 times this season with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in tow: beat the Boston Celtics. Will he succeed? Check out my predictions on this and the rest of what promises to be one of the best NBA Playoffs ever.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

FIRST ROUND
1 Chicago Bulls vs 8 Indiana Pacers

When the Indiana Pacers fought to make the playoffs they were probably expecting to face the Miami Heat, who they beat earlier in the year. Instead they got a Bulls team clicking on all cylinders led by MVP front runner Derrick Rose. The Bulls won 62 games this season and locked up home court advantage throughout the entire playoffs. The Bulls only won 60 games five other times in franchise history (hint: all in the 1990′s) and each time they went on to win the NBA title. Read on to see if I think they will make it six, but they will get off to a good start.

Prediction:  The Bulls finally get out of the first round (not being a #8 seed helps that way) in a sweep 4-0.

4 Orlando Magic vs 5 Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks won the season series 3 games to 1, however I am not sold on an Atlanta team that lost by more than 30 points on their home floor three different times. Al Horford has made strides this ear but he is not a true center and will be overmatched by Orlando center Dwight Howard. Atlanta is a mystery to me. They play well enough to be a mid-level playoff team (more a testament to the weak Eastern Conference) but you never expect them to progress to title contender. They are getting no respect and it feels like they don’t really care. I can’t take a team seriously if the road team’s fans are louder than the home fans in your own gym. Joe Johnson is a quiet superstar and may need to change that perception (especially since he signed a huge contract to stay for five years when he could have went elsewhere) if the Hawks are going to go anywhere in the future. I just want to see him get mad and carry the Hawks for once. It won’t happen this year, however. Not even this round.

Prediction: Orlando shows regular season matchup is a fluke taking out the Hawks 4-2.

3 Boston Celtics vs 6 New York Knicks

This will be the most interesting series in the first round of the East playoffs. These two teams haven’t met in the playoffs since 1990 where the Knicks upset the favored Celtics in a best of 5 series by winning the final three games. This current crop of Knickerbockers have the tools to repeat history. The loss of Kendrick Perkins will be glaring for Boston if Shaquille O’Neal is not productive coming off a calf injury. The Knicks have the best closer in the game in Carmelo Anthony and a confident Amare Stoudamire. Chauncey Billups’ championship experience will help the Knicks, but will they play any semblance of consistent defense? Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen have been down this road before but never without Perkins. Rajon Rondo the best player on the team a year ago is reportedly playing hurt and is still sulking over Perkins’ departure. This will be the longest series of the first round only because the Knicks potent offense will win a few games by default, especially over a Celtics team that has the lowest scoring average in the entire league (90.2 ppg) since early March. Boston has been doubted before and they took all that talk of their demise all the way to the NBA Finals last year. They still play something called good defense and will win the series in seven only if Shaq is a factor and Rondo returns to form, otherwise the Knicks pull the upset.

Prediction: Boston has yet to lose to the Knicks this season and have come too far to go home early. They will move on 4 games to 3.

2 Miami Heat vs 7 Philadelphia 76ers

With all the hype, drama and media coverage that bordered on overkill (there are at least two national media outlets that have season-long sections dedicated to the daily exploits of The Miami Heat — ESPN’s “Heat Index” and USA Today’s “Heat Check”) The Maimi Heat’s season starts now. All eyes will be on the new Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to see if LeBron can back up the tough talk from the narcissistic pre-season coronation/pep rally in July that introduced the trio to the Miami faithful. They get off to a great start against Philly who are a nice story, but will not be able to match up to the firepower of the Heat.

Prediction: Heat burn the Sixers 4 to 1.

EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

1 Chicago Bulls vs 4 Orlando Magic

This series is a tough one to call. The Magic are playoff tested. The return of Hedo Turkoglu along with the experience of Jason Richardson (a Western Conference finalist last season in Phoenix), Gilbert Arenas, and Jameer Nelson will be a factor in this series. Chicago may be the #1 seed, but losing to Orlando would not be considered an upset in my opinion. Orlando will win this series, however I give Chicago an outside chance only if Derrick Rose gets Dwight Howard in foul trouble with his signature acrobatic drives to the cup thus leaving the middle open for Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer to go to work. Orlando has their own point to prove with Miami getting all the press and prestige in the “sunshine state” and their veteran leadership will trump youth this year, not for lack of effort from Mr. Rose.

Prediction: Orlando stops the Bulls 4-2

2 Miami Heat vs 3 Boston Celtics

When the NBA season tipped off in October with the first installment of Heat-Celtics everyone watching figured this would be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately the Chicago Bulls had something to say about where these two teams would end up so the showdown comes one round early. I hate to beat a dead horse, but the absence of Kendrick Perkins effectively brought Boston back to the pack in the East. Miami reportedly loved the deal as shown in the last regular season meeting where Miami did as they pleased in the paint en route to a 100-77 win. The series won’t be as lopsided as the depth of the Celtics bench will keep the games competitive. Again, the effectiveness of Shaq (or any big other than Kevin Garnett) will swing the series. Former Heat Jermaine O’Neal will have something to prove in this series against the team that let him walk and will have a decent series.

Prediction: In another seven game marathon, the Miami Heat will upset the Celtics 4-3 and send Doc Rivers into retirement. Let the finger pointing (and rebuilding) begin in Beantown.

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

2 Miami Heat vs 4 Orlando Magic

Ironically this will the toughest test for the Heat. Dwight Howard will be the only thing standing in the way of a trip to the NBA Finals for LeBron James and the Heat. For the Heat to win this series they have to get contributions from a bench that has been invisible all season. The Heat should have Udonis Haslem back by this point giving them a much needed body to bang with Howard, but the three-headed monster of Erick Dampier, Joel Anthony, and Zydrunis Ilgauskas have to use their fouls to frustrate Howard. Technical fouls accumulated in the regular season are wiped clean in the post season so unless Howard has a major meltdown that gives him 7 techs, he isn’t missing any time.

Unlike the Bulls series, getting Howard in foul trouble will not matter as the Magic have proven they can beat the Heat without Howard touching the ball on offense (as witnessed in the classic comeback from a 24-point deficit back in March). LeBron may have flashbacks to the 2009 Conference Finals with Turkoglu alongside Richardson, Arenas, and (wait for it) Ryan Anderson taking the place of Rashard Lewis behind the 3-point arc. The Magic live and die by the 3 pointer and if they are on it could extinguish the Heat. LeBron has personal incentive (proving Orlando general manager Otis Smith wrong) to make the Magic disappear, but his exploits along with Wade and Bosh may not be enough without consistent play from the Ringo Starr’s on the bench.

Prediction: Orlando upsets ”The Heatles” denying LeBron a trip to the NBA Finals 4-2 in year one of “The Process”.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

FIRST ROUND
1 San Antonio Spurs vs 8 Memphis Grizzlies

This is the matchup the Grizzlies wanted for reasons only known by the team itself. It has been reported that Memphis tanked the last few games to assure themselves of the 8th seed and avoid facing the Lakers. Spurs forward Tim Duncan responded simply ”we see what’s happening”. Uh oh, bulletin board material. This series won’t go more than five. The Grizz are still without their star Rudy Gay, lost for the year with a shoulder injury, and while super sub Tony Allen has been playing out of his mind the last few weeks and Memphis boasts the fourth best record in the Western Conference since the All-Star break, the Spurs have their own Big 3 in the aforementioned Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli. Even though Ginobli hyperextended his elbow in the regular season finale, they won’t need him in this round.

Prediction: Spurs move on 4-1

4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs 5 Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets traded away the face of their franchise and didn’t miss a beat en route to a 50-win season. If that doesn’t put coach George Karl in the discussion for Coach of the Year I don’t know what does. The Nuggets have no standout superstar yet share the ball effectively in a way not seen since the Detroit Pistons of the 2000′s. The Thunder have two superstars in the NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. OKC also has Kendrick Perkins. It is hard to believe one man can swing the balance of power from one conference to the next, but it goes to show how important a serviceable big man is to a championship contender. Perkins brings the toughness that can offset Nene and any antics by Kenyon Martin.  The players that came over in the trade from the Knicks will be fun to watch, but the Thunder’s defense will prove to be too daunting.

Prediction: Thunder bury the Nuggets 4-2

3 Dallas Mavericks vs 6 Portland Trailblazers

This will be as exciting as the Knicks-Celtics series. The Dallas Mavericks have been a Jekyll and Hyde team known to excel in the regular season only to flame out in the playoffs. Their inability to get out of the first round the last few years is the reason why former Mavs coach Avery Johnson is currently wasting away in New Jersey. Since blowing a chance to go up 3-0 on the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals, the Mavericks have not gotten past the second round, losing in the first round twice. Not having Caron Butler hurts but Shawn Marion and Jason Terry lead a formidable bench which will be needed to help Dirk Nowitzki. Portland has a snubbed all-star in LaMarcus Aldridge an emerging star in Wesley Matthews, the high energy of Gerald Wallace, and their star player Brandon Roy currently coming off the bench (?!). They have not moved past the first round since 2000, but they will give Dallas all they can handle.

Prediction: Dallas hears the whispers of another collapse and because of it they will respond to the perceived disrespect by advancing in a tough series 4-3.

2 Los Angeles Lakers vs 7 New Orleans Hornets

Andrew Bynum only has a bone bruise in his hyperextended right knee. That means he will not miss significant time, if any at all in the playoffs. That is bad news for the rest of the Western Conference. The Lakers may not even need Bynum in this series as the Hornets will be without star forward David West. That leaves Emeka Okafor on an island against the size of the Lakers. Chris Paul will do his best but the Hornets are undersized and overmatched against the two-time defending champs.

Prediction: Lakers win 4-1.

WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

1 San Antonio Spurs vs 4 Oklahoma City Thunder

The experience of the Spurs and the multiple big men (Antonio McDyess, Dejuan Blair, Duncan) they can throw at Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka combined with the neutrilization of Kevin Durant’s offense by Manu Ginobli will make the difference here. This series may go the distance as Durant and Westbrook try to set up a rematch with the Lakers in the Conference Finals, but the Spurs will prevail.

Prediction: Spurs win 4-3

2 Los Angeles Lakers vs 3 Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks got the first round monkey off their back, but reality will set in. The Mavericks will not have an answer for Pau Gasol, LaMar Odom and Bynum and there is a guy by the name of Kobe Bryant who will command a double team at some point. While Dallas has come a long way defensively they rely on their offense to dictate the pace of the game.

Prediction: Lakers advance 4-2

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
1 San Antonio Spurs vs 2 Los Angeles Lakers

Unlike the Eastern Conference, the West holds to form with the two best teams meeting for the chance to play in the Finals. San Antonio, like Boston, defied age and logic during the regular season being the last team to lose 10 games in a year where they were supposed to be in the middle of the pack. These teams are evenly matched, their regular season was a wash. Both teams have game changing superstars and a deep bench. It comes down to Kobe and Phil. Kobe has the nastiest killer instinct since Jordan and I can’t see him losing this series. Losing the #1 seed to the Spurs is just another challenge for the Black Mamba which is a bad omen for San Antonio.

Prediction: Lakers go back to the NBA Finals after a hard fought 7 game slug fest 4-3.

NBA FINALS

Orlando Magic vs Los Angeles Lakers

Probably not the team from Florida Commissioner David Stern had in mind to face the Lakers in the NBA Finals, but in a rematch of the 2009 Finals the experience of the Lakers produces the same result. It was Kobe Bryant’s mission statement to send coach Phil Jackson off with his fourth three-peat while simultaneously earning his sixth ring tying him with Michael Jordan. Again, the challenge is what drives Bryant and his will to win elevates the rest of the team to victory.

Prediction: Lakers complete the three-peat 4-2, possibly pushing Dwight Howard closer to Tinseltown after next season.

**Bonus**

AWARDS SEASON:

MVP: Derrick Rose (Runner-up: LeBron James)

Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau, Chicago (Runner-up: Gregg Poppovich, Spurs)

Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin (Runner-up: John Wall)

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard (Runner-up: no one worth mentioning)

Sixth Man of the Year: LaMar Odom (Runner-up: Jamal Crawford)

5 Reasons The Miami Heat Will NOT Win The NBA Title This Season

The most stunning development in one of the best NBA seasons in recent memory has been the trade that jettisoned former Celtics center Kendrick Perkins, along with guard Nate Robinson, to Oklahoma City right before the trade deadline for Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green. This move left many people scratching their heads because a year ago the Celtics were one quarter away from winning their second championship in three seasons. Quite telling that in that game Boston blew a 13 point lead to the Lakers while Perkins watched helplessly from the bench after suffering a season ending knee injury in game 6.

Fact is the Celtics have not lost a playoff series in which Perkins and the Big 4 of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo have started every game (they won the NBA title in 2008, lost to Orlando in 2009 when Garnett was out with an injury, and the aforementioned loss in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals sans Perkins). When the future of coach Doc Rivers and Ray Allen was uncertain this past off-season, they both returned to the fold with the intent of giving it one more shot at the NBA title as constructed at the time. With Perkins playing for the Thunder, that will certainly not happen.

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Why did this happen? At the beginning of the 2010-11 season Perkins reportedly turned down a contract extension offered by the Celtics general manager Danny Ainge. It is possible that Ainge believed he would not be able to re-sign Perkins and wanted to get value back for him, a calculated risk that has backfired thus far. The Celtics are 9-10 in the last 19 games and have been beaten handily by the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat in the last few days, two teams they owned earlier in the season.

Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose stated that the current version of the Boston Celtics is “different” from the team he has played against the last three years. Speaking on Perkins, Rose said “he was hard to get around.” Strong words from a guy who has gotten around everyone this season on his way to the basket. Perkins’ replacements have not come close to providing his toughness to this point. Nenad Krstic is a jump shooting, finesse-playing big man and Jeff Green, who was drafted by the Celtics and traded to Seattle (now Oklahoma City) on draft night, seems like his mind is still in OKC as he has been a non-factor. The veteran big men Boston brought in to give Perkins a breather have not been pulling their weight. Shaquille O’Neal cannot stay on the court at his advanced age sidelined with knee and calf issues and Jermaine O’Neal, who just recently returned to action after missing over 60 games with a knee problem, is a shell of himself.

Besides Kevin Garnett the Celtics have no one in the paint that scares the opposition. Evidence of that came with the 100-77 beating they took at the hands of the Miami Heat on Sunday (Apr. 10th). Miami out-rebounded Boston 42-26 and scored 44 points in the paint. The big man triumvirate of Jermaine O’Neal, Troy Murphy and Krstic combined for a whopping 2 points in 29 combined minutes. Only 3 Celtics players scored in double figures. Lets not forget the mental edge the Heat possibly gained with this shellacking.

On the flip side the Thunder destroyed the Lakers on the same night 120-106 in a game where Perkins got physical with Kobe Bryant (left), something the Thunder failed to do last season. The Lakers beat the Thunder in the first round of the 2010 playoffs mainly because they did not have any real size in the middle to slow Lakers big men Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Perkins fills that void and then some, plus his experience competing against L.A. will only help should the two teams meet for a rematch.

The playoffs are an entirely different season and no team knows this better than Boston, who limped to the finish line last year only to flip the switch in the postseason. Still Kendrick Perkins was a part of that team and I have to believe he would have eventually re-signed with Boston. He reportedly cried in the locker room when he got the news he was traded and Garnett, Pierce and Doc Rivers looked like someone died when they were interviewed after the deal was done. Perkins immediately signed a 4-year extension with Oklahoma City upon his arrival there, a possible flip of the bird (no pun intended) to Danny Ainge for shipping him out in the first place.

Three years removed from being named Executive of the Year after bringing the original Big 3 together, Ainge has been getting killed on sports websites with some people calling him “Dummy Ainge” for moving Perkins. With Perkins the Celtics were prohibitive favorites to win the Eastern Conference even with all the moves Miami made. This trade will never be on par with the “Curse of the Bambino,” the supposed hex put on the Boston Redsox after they sold Babe Ruth to the rival New York Yankees that led to over 80 years of World Series futility, but if the Celtics do not win the Eastern Conference everyone will point to the trade that shipped out the anchor of the vaunted Boston defense.

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Boston-Oklahoma City

This was the biggest head scratcher for me. The Celtics spent much of the season saying how good they’d be once center Kendrick Perkins fully recovered from knee surgery and how if he was healthy in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals it would be the Celtics celebrating two championships in three years instead of the Lakers, yet they shipped him off to the Thunder along with guard Nate Robinson in exchange for forward Jeff Green and center Nenad Krstic. Boston gets more offense, but now seemingly will have more trouble handling the Lakers’ size if they meet in the Finals. This deal is hard to figure out since Shaquille O’Neal has been unable to stay on the court with a myriad of injuries and Jermaine O’Neal is stealing money right now on injured reserve.

Not to worry, they still have backup center and key contributor Semih Erden right? You would be wrong. In another move, Boston gets rid of Erden and fellow big man Luke Harangody in exchange for Cleveland’s second-round pick in 2012. The Thunder get better equipped to take on the Lakers in the middle with Perkins. The Thunder also received center Nazr Mohammed from the Charlotte Bobcats for Morris Peterson and DJ White.

Asked about this peculiar move GM Danny Ainge said they were not sure they would be able to resign Perkins after this year. Really? After the Celtics lost to the Nuggets late Thursday night the locker room looked like a funeral parlor. Kevin Garnett couldn’t look at the camera when asked about Perkins and Paul Pierce was visibly distraught when talking about the big man he spent the last eight years with. According to Nate Robinson Perkins was “crying” when he learned he was being shipped out.

Doesn’t sound like someone that would not re-sign with the only team he has played with and won a championship with. Boston has effectively allowed the Miami Heat, and the rest of the Eastern Conference elite to catch up to them. SMH.

Cleveland-LA Clippers

In another move that has me scratching my chin, The Clippers ship point guard Baron Davis to the NBA equivalent of Alcatraz along with their 2011 first-round pick, which could be a lottery selection. The Clippers get forward Jamario Moon and guard Mo Williams, who waived the opt-out clause in his contract, guaranteeing he’ll be in place through 2012-13.

With the chemistry between Davis and rookie phenom Blake Griffin the question has to be asked why would Clippers management separate the two? Well according to ESPN reports the Clippers are overjoyed that they were able to move Davis’ mammoth contract, in the past seen as an immovable object. It was also said that the Clippers wanted to establish Griffin as the marquee star of the team and Davis’ personality would not allow that to happen. Huh? Davis threw an alley-oop pass to Griffin out of the sun roof of a Kia Optima. Why would you upset that connection and possibly aggravate Griffin in the process. Mo Williams, arguably one of the reasons LeBron James left town due to his disappearing act in the postseason, is not going to move the franchise forward.

On the Cleveland side, they made this move strictly for the draft pick. As they look to try to catch lightning in a bottle again they have two top ten picks in the upcoming draft to try to get back what they lost with James. Davis is reportedly not happy with this trade (shocker) as he had interests in the Los Angeles area outside of basketball. Plus L.A. is near his hometown of Oakland. I am not a betting man, but I would be stunned if Davis puts on a Cavaliers jersey this season.

Utah-New Jersey

The Jazz got 6-10 rookie forward Derrick Favors (6.3 points, 5.3 rebounds), point guard Devin Harris (15 points, 7.6 assists) and two first-round draft picks, for 2011 and 2012, plus $3 million. Favors was the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s draft. Harris turns 28 on Sunday. The 2011 draft class is expected to be a weak one, but the jury is still out on 2012. The 2011 pick is unprotected and the 2012 one is a top-seven protected pick (from Golden State).

The Nets got two-time All-Star point guard Deron Williams, who has been the NBA’s second-ranked assist man in three of the four previous seasons. He is averaging a career-high 21.3 points. Williams’ contract expires after the 2011-12 season and the jury is out on if he will sign an extension because truthfully the Nets can’t sell him on Brooklyn because they won’t be there until the beginning of the 2012-13 season.

This deal only surprises me because no one knew Deron Williams was available, but then again if you are blamed for the resignation of the longest tenured coach in all of sports in Jerry Sloan, an icon in Utah, then your days are probably numbered. Devin Harris was mentioned in every possible trade package the Nets put together beginning last summer so it is safe to say that coach Avery Johnson did not want him around. The Nets succeeded in stealing a little thunder back from the New York Knicks, which was really why this deal was done–let’s be real. It doesn’t change the fact that billionaire Mikhail Prokorov and minorityowner Jay-Z have not produced the results worthy of the towering “Blueprint for Success” billboard hovering over Madison Square Garden.

Atlanta-Washington

The Hawks sent point guard Mike Bibby, rookie Jordan Crawford and Maurice Evans to Washington for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong. This was a decent move for the Hawks because Bibby is past his heyday in Sacramento and with Hinrich you keep the three-point threat of Bibby and add someone who is more athletic, can get to the basket and defend his position.

Houston – Pheonix – Memphis

The Rockets shipped point guard Aaron Brooks, a proven 20 point per game scorer and their best player once Yao went down, to Pheonix straight up for backup Goran Dragic and a future first round pick. Vince Carter is starting at shooting guard for the Suns last I checked and Steve Nash is an all-world point guard, so you’re gonna bring Brooks off the bench? Wow. Who’s going to start at point for Houston: Kyle Lowry?? The logic, if there is any, behind this move is that Brooks’ contract is up at the end of the year and Houston probably believes they won’t be able to re-sign him. This move helps relieve pressure off of Nash and gives the Suns a better chance to grab a playoff spot.

Houston also jettisoned Shane Battier to Memphis for Hasheem Thabeet and a future first round pick. The only reason I could give for Houston sending one of the better defenders in the entire league to Memphis for the biggest highly drafted big-man bust this side of Greg Oden is because Thabeet is 7’3″ and clogs the middle in the absence of Yao. To accomplish this Thabeet has to actually play, something he did not do in Memphis even though he was healthy.

Portland-Charlotte

High flying Gerald Wallace was sent to Portland for Joel Pryzbilla. Pryzbilla, a target of the Knicks, gives Charlotte the body in the middle they need to make a push for the final playoff spot in the East while the Trailblazers get more athletic. What, Charlotte wasn’t satisfied with Kwame Brown up front??

Other ancillary moves the Nets finally shipped Troy Murphy to Golden State for Brandon Wright and Dan Gadzuric, Kings forward Carl Landry lands in New Orleans for sharp shooter Marcus Thorton, in a move to help the Hornets’ front court in center Emeka Okafor’s absence, and the Celtics send another big guy… just kidding… swingman Marquise Daniels and his suspect spine to Sacramento for a future draft pick.

The NBA landscape is completely different today with a bunch of new faces in new places. The only teams that got better to me are the Thunder, Nets (they couldn’t get worse), Memphis Grizzlies (Battier is a stud), and Phoenix. It is going to be an interesting six weeks. Enjoy!

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The NBA All-Star Game reserves were unveiled last Thursday (Feb. 3rd) on TNT. With all the talent in the NBA and only seven reserve spots to fill by head coaches of the Eastern and Western conference there will be some players that are deserving that will be left off the team. However this year there were some glaring omissions which makes you wonder if all the head coaches even voted. Below are some of the players that should have been All-Stars this season.

Beginning with the Eastern Conference you can’t go wrong with the starters the fans voted in: LeBron James, D-Wade, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudamire are all deserving. The reserves that were chosen were only from three teams. Eastern Conference coaches cannot vote for their own players so the results were a little surprising. The entire Boston Celtics starting lineup minus Shaq (Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett) was selected, Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh, Atlanta Hawks Al Horford and Joe Johnson round out the East reserves.

The argument can be made that Bosh shouldn’t be on the team and somebody has to be better than Ray Allen and Al Horford, right? Looking at the teams in the East, Carlos Boozer of the Chicago Bulls had so many mysterious injuries that kept him out of action that he can’t complain, a case could be made for Raymond Felton of the New York Knicks, but his production started to decline in January, Andrew Bogut in Milwaukee? The team has been disappointing and Bogut isn’t putting up the numbers he did in his breakout year last season. Who else in the East is in the top ten to fifteen in scoring? Danny Granger in Indiana? Stephen Jackson in Charlotte? Both of those teams are inconsistent. So while it may look like the Boston Celtics versus the West All-Stars late in the first quarter on Sunday February 20th, in a testament to how weak the Eastern Conference is after the top four teams, I think the coaches got it right.

Looking at the Western Conference, here is where it gets ridiculous. Again, the fans got four out of five right in the starters: Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant deserve to go, but Yao Ming has been out of action since November. There was no other center in the Western Conference that could have been voted in? Congrats to Blake Griffin on making the team as a rookie.

Kevin Love

The fact that Kevin Love was not voted in as a starter or selected as a reserve initially is a travesty. I, like Charles Barkley, do not believe a team’s record should go against a player. Love is leading the NBA in rebounding with over 15 a game. That is Dennis Rodman numbers. The last time he did not have a double-double (double figure points and rebounds) was November 19th! Sure Minnesota only won 11 games to this point, Love has three games with 30 points and 20 rebounds this year! He shoots threes like a shooting guard. Thankfully Commissioner David Stern did the right thing and in about 24 hours, too. Which means he was probably equally shocked. Still I wonder how Love feels to be added as a replacement. Hey, Ray Allen made the All-Star team twice that way and he’s not complaining. Okay, lets move on to the true snubs:

Lamar Odom

If the coaches are going to vote another Laker on the team it should be Lamar Odom, not Pau Gasol. Odom has been consistently good, foul on “Big Baby” Glen Davis at halfcourt at the end of the first half last Sunday (Jan. 30) against the Celtics aside. In that same game Kevin Garnett was constantly beating Gasol and Andrew Bynum down the floor for easy baskets. Those guys stopped playing.

LaMarcus Aldridge

LaMarcus Aldridge has carried the Portland Trailblazers this season without leading scorer Brandon Roy. The fact that Portland has a winning record without their superstar should have stamped a ticket for Aldridge and keep coach Nate McMillan open for Coach of the Year consideration. Tim Duncan, who made the team, is not even the second best player on the squad (Tony Parker holds that honor) and his scoring numbers are way below his career average.

Monta Ellis

Because the West is still heavy on guards, Monta Ellis, Steve Nash and the aforementioned Parker were left off. Ellis is automatically the more egregious of the two snubs. He has single-handedly been responsible for over half of Golden State’s 19 wins to this point including their most recent triumph over Milwaukee (Feb 3rd). In spite of that, who i he going to replace? Hard to argue with Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams here.

Unless the rosters are expanded to 15 players instead of 12, the Western Conference will have this problem every year. It is rare that all the players chosen for baseball’s All-Star team get to play. With the amount of TV timeouts I am sure the coaches can get 15 players some burn in the All-Star game.

Let’s see if David Stern makes this happen.

Top 4 Contestants for the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Competition

While it is still early in the season, another twenty games of mediocrity will most certainly drive the media watch dogs into a frenzy and Heat fans to drink.

The new “Big 3″ of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh now know that the games won’t be as “easy” as LeBron predicted before the season. The “Welcome to Miami” pep rally/coronation that signaled James and Bosh’s arrival seems like a long time ago. The Heat will not win the NBA title this year, but here are five ways they can salvage this season and make the run to the NBA Finals almost everyone predicted after July 8th 2010.

5 – Pat Riley takes over as head coach

Make no mistake about it. Pat Riley is a big reason why LeBron James “took his talents to South Beach.” It was Riley on the front lines in Cleveland reportedly flashing his championship rings at LeBron this past summer. While Erik Spoesltra may command D Wade’s respect, it is hard to fathom that James and Bosh are really gonna listen to what Spoelstra’s selling when times get tough. That being said, a coaching change probably won’t be made until next season which is why this reason is number 5 on the list. As past history has shown, Riley won’t come down from the executive suite until this team is built to win. With the way the roster is currently set-up, Spoelstra won’t have to resign to be with his family until next year.

4 – LeBron has to decide whether he is a passer or go-to-guy

Even though this is Wade’s team, LeBron is still the best player on it. For this reason the Heat have looked like the Miami Cavaliers at times with LeBron taking over the game offensively while the other four guys on the floor stand around. The Boston Celtics made their Big 3 of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett work because ball movement was fluid. None of the three stars dominated the ball for significant stretches of the game. LeBron has to figure out if he is going to put up gaudy scoring numbers each time out and leave the passing to someone else or facilitate the offense and sacrifice scoring until they address a glaring need at the point.

3 – The other 12 guys have to step up

This ain’t The Redeem Team. Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony aren’t rounding out the starting five. Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, and Jason Kidd are not coming off the bench. This is the down side of locking up three max players and leaving crumbs in the coffer to fill out the rest of the roster. Granted, this team has been decimated by some freak injuries (Wade’s hamstring, Mike Miller’s thumb, etc.), but the guys that are putting on the uniform have to hit some shots and keep opposing defenses honest. Sure Juwan Howard and Zydrunis Ilgauskis have seen better days, but they are former All-Stars. Mario Chalmers was the starting point guard for last year’s Heat team that had a better record at this point than this year’s squad. Show some pride men!

2 – Get an elite point guard

With all apologies to Carlos Arroyo, who is a proven floor leader (Wade plays much better with Arroyo on the floor) as witnessed during the 2004 Olympics when the Arroyo-led Puerto Rican team beat the USA, the Heat have lost to teams boasting Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo (twice) at the point guard position. Like the Riley move, a change may not happen at the “one” this season. Even if some top tier point guards were available, I doubt they would take the minimum salary to defer to three other stars.

This season LeBron has been dominating the ball as point forward. This needs to change. If Arroyo is gonna be the guy he needs to control the ball more. Passing to LeBron and then setting up on the wing is not going to cut it. This predictable offense allows teams to clog the middle on LeBron and Wade forcing them to take jump shots and with the way they have been shooting the three ball (a combined 5-30 the last few games) keeping them on the perimeter is the best defense. Showcase Arroyo  more, allow him to drive the lane and break down the defense to set up the star players instead of vice versa. This needs to be addressed asap if the Larry O’Brien trophy is going to make an appearance in American Airlines Arena in June.

1 – Get a big man or two (or three)

If the point guard is a glaring need, a presence in the middle is a gaping hole. If Miami wants to compete with Dwight Howard in Orlando and Boston, who has a rejuvenated Shaquille O’Neal catching alley-oop dunks from Rondo, Jermaine O’Neal, Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins returning in February, they need someone who can score and defend in the pivot. Unless Chris Bosh starts playing like Blake Griffin, Joel Anthony and Big Z is not gonna cut it come playoff time.

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His eight free throws over the final 1:09 of OT helped ice the Bucks for the 105-102 win.

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The Heat could not find the basket as the Celtics looked like a cohesive unit even integrating the newly acquired Shaquille O’Neal in the early going with two wide open dunks.

Coming into the game as “the other team” seemed to light a fire under the veterans from Beantown as Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen led an offense that opened up a 19-point lead on Miami in the second quarter en route to a 45-30 halftime edge.

Those who thought the game was over at this point may have been under a rock when LeBron James said he was “taking his talents to South Beach” this past summer. With Dwyane Wade (4-16 from the field, 13 points) struggling with his shot, still getting into game shape after missing the entire preseason, and Chris Bosh (8 points) being locked down by Kevin Garnett, King James stepped out of the phone booth in the third quarter.

James led the Heat back all by himself in the third quarter scoring 15 of his 31 points in the period, including scoring or assisting on 14 points in a row, to cut the lead to six points at 63-57.

Every time the Heat threatened the Celtics, mainly Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, hit a big shot to quell any notions of a Miami comeback. When James and Wade led a two-man attack in the 4th quarter to cut the lead to three at 83-80, a clutch three pointer by Ray Allen and two free throws by Paul Pierce set the final score.

The Heat looked like a team that just came together over the summer (James had 8 turnovers) as many of the shots and passes made by Miami were off. The good news is the NBA season is 82 games. No one expected the Heat to go 82-0. They have time to get the kinks out, but give Boston their props. They did not succumb to the hype and played like the defending Eastern Conference champs they are.

With the opener looking like an Eastern Conference Finals game, the 2010-2011 NBA season is off to a fantastic start.

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VIA ESPN:

Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker has been arrested on criminal charges stemming from $822,500 in gambling debts in Las Vegas.

Douglas County sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Halsey says Walker was arrested Thursday at a Harrah’s Tahoe cabaret bar on Lake Tahoe’s south shore.

Deputies were notified of his presence by an employee who had seen a television report about an arrest warrant issued for Walker two days before.

Walker is accused of three felony counts of writing bad checks. Clark County prosecutors say he failed to make good on 10 checks totaling $1 million to Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood and the Red Rock Resort.

Walker has repaid $178,000 of the debts that were incurred from last July to January.

Walker was released from jail after posting $135,000 cash bail.

VIA Deadspin:

If the NBA were a horrible Michael Bay movie, this is the part where the bad guy would mutter “I fear we’ve awakened a sleeping giant.” Then a Boston Celtics flag would flutter in slow-motion.

Cleveland sent a message—even though they don’t send messages—by destroying the Celtics in an (almost) completely meaningless regular season clock burner. Boston, playing without Kevin Garnett, will still finish second in the East and still won’t have home-court advantage if and when they run into the Cavs in the playoffs. But depending on your interpretation of the 31-point blowout, the defending champs have been humbled by this passing of the torch … or for the first time all season they have been given a reason to give a crap.

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Any NBA playoff predictions, BlackPlanet?! Share your thoughts in the comments section!